16 Jan 2008
We work on the idea of a physical interaction as a conversation, trying to write sample scripts for our individual exhibits.
Readings for Discussion
Saffer, Dan. “Ch. 9: The Future of Interaction Design,” in Designing for Interaction: Creating Smart Applications and Clever Devices. Peachpit Press, 2006.
Demonstration
Techniques for physical interaction design; interaction as conversation.
Further Reading
Dan O’Sullivan and Tom Igoe. “Chapter 8: Physical Interaction Design, or Techniques for Polite Conversation,” in Physical Computing: Sensing and Controlling the Physical World with Computers. Thomson Course Technology, 2004.
Individual Exercise
Easy. Doctored images. One serious concern with digitization is the fear that it may be more difficult to detect when sources have been altered. In Digital History, Cohen and Rosenzweig give the example of George E. Mahlberg’s “![[WWW]](http://wikispot.org/wiki/eggheadbeta/img/sycamore-www.png){kind=small}
In-A-Gadda-Da-Oswald” (1996). For more examples, look through the collection of “Pictures that Lie” on CNET News. First of all, think about these modified sources as a traditional historian. Is there internal evidence that tells you that they are faked? (In the case of the Mahlberg picture, I’m thinking of the relative dates of men’s headwear, Roland D20 synthesizers and the Dead Kennedys). Now read about the research of Hany Farid at Dartmouth:
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“
Keeping it Real,” The Economist (17 Aug 2006).
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Steve Casimiro, “
Can Photos Be Trusted?” Popular Science (1 Sep 2005).
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Monya Baker, “
Different Strokes,” Technology Review (17 Jan 2005).
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Sarah Webb, “
Is It Real or Is It Photoshopped?” Discover (27 Sep 2004).
Do you think that digital manipulation is going to be a serious problem for digital historians or not? Try to write a balanced assessment in your blog.
